The Past, the Present, the Future
by Jedifangirl98
Summary: "There was only one daughter with fiery red curls and a smile that would melt the heart of anyone. Her name was Natasha, and she was five years old when it happened." This is my idea of Natasha's horrible past beginning with the Red Room, becoming a Soviet Agent, meeting Hawkeye, and becoming a Shield Agent. It will obviously be a really long fanfic, so let's get started!
1. Chapter 1

On a normal, standard street in Russia, there lived a small family of three...soon to be four. They were a happy family for the few years they lived. There was only one daughter with fiery red curls and a smile that would melt the heart of anyone. Her name was Natasha, and she was five years old when it happened.

It was the typical winter night in Russia. Blizzards raged, and people hurried inside their houses to their warm fires. Natasha's mother, Alena, was busy around the stove, making preparations for dinner. Natasha was entertaining herself by running in small, little circles, trying to make herself dizzy, and chortling happily. She was a creative toddler and loved to 'dance' and draw. Tonight she was pretending to be a ballerina while waiting for her father to come home from work.

"I'm home!" A male voice called out from the entryway. Alena dropped the lid on the pot of soup she was making for dinner with a loud clang and hurried to the entryway.

"Viktor!" She called out. Natasha hurried along after her. This was her favorite time of day when her father came home, and they ate supper and told stories until her bedtime. Natasha turned the corner to see her parents in a close embrace, kissing. They broke away, and Alena looked at Viktor with a serious look on her face.

"What happened?" She whispered.

Viktor frowned angrily. "Gleb didn't come to work today, and there are rumors that his family was taken into custody."

She gasped. "Not their sweet little daughter too?"

"I wouldn't be surprised!" His voice rose angrily, "This is the second family in three weeks that has been arrested for no reason. I'm worried!" Natasha listened, wide eyed, to their conversation. She didn't understand most of it, but she did know something bad was going on. She moved in cautiously to hold on to her mother's leg.

"We shouldn't be talking about it here. She's frightened." Alena picked up Natasha and squeezed her hard. "Let's go eat." She hurried into the kitchen and placed Natasha down on the floor.

"How is the baby?" Viktor asked.

She smiled slightly. "It was kicking today." She placed a hand on her stomach. "Only two more months." She whispered softly and looked up at Viktor happily.

Natasha returned to her role as a ballerina, and her parents finished the last preparations for dinner. The little five year old was pondering some serious things for a toddler while she was dancing around. She was unusually observant for her age, and many strange things had been happening lately that needed to be thought about. There were the many references to a baby, and she knew they weren't talking about her. And the scary stories she overheard about missing children and dead families.

"Natasha." She looked up to see her mother placing bowls of hot soup on the table. "Come eat."

Two hours later the kitchen was cleaned up, Viktor had read her a story, and she was tucked into bed in her small room in the attic. She eventually fell asleep to the comforting sound of her parents voices, rising and falling in the background.

She woke up to the shrill, panicked screams of her mother and the angry shouts of her father. She was out of her bed in a second and running to the door, screaming. Five black men suddenly opened her door. They were huge men, and Natasha shrank back, crying hard.

"Don't take my baby! PLEASE!" A shot rang out, and Natasha heard a moan and then an enraged, horrible, inhuman voice yelling her mother's name.

One of the men picked her up roughly, and she struggled wildly, scratching and biting. The men laughed.

"This one has spirit. She will make a good one."

Natasha screamed at the top of her lungs. "DADDY! HELP!" She sobbed loudly, still struggling.

"NATASHA! NATASHA!" She heard her father yelling her name. Then another shot rang out, and she heard another moan. Then complete silence. She was surrounded by huge men, and her parents would not come. She collapsed in the man's arms, in complete shock. She was carried out, and set down outside of her room.

She saw her father and mother lying on the ground with dark pools of blood surrounding them. She screamed loudly, so loudly she hurt her own ears, trying to take away the pain that tore her heart. She understood what had happened, and she was in shock. The men laughed again, and she stopped. Tears streamed down her face in torrents, and she stood there on the floor in front of her parents and watched them, hoping they would stand up and tell her it was a dream. But they didn't.

"Don't worry little one." She felt a hand place something cold in her own hand, and she looked down to see a knife in her hand. She looked up at the men, completely and utterly confused. They smiled at her, but it was not the warm, happy smile of her parents, but a cold, cruel smile that sent shivers down her spine.

"Don't worry." The man repeated. "They are not dead. We will let you have the honor of killing them yourself." She could not register what he had said. Already her hopelessly confused mind was in shock. She could not understand.

The man pushed her until she was standing next to her father. She saw him twitch, and she knelt down in a rush onto her little knees. "DADDY!" She yelled, shaking him. The men shook their heads, laughing.

"He's not going to wake up for a long time." One of the men picked up the knife she had thrown to the side and handed it to her again. He forced her fingers to close over the knife, his fingers engulfing her whole hand. Then he was forcing her to move the knife down...down...down...She screamed as the knife went down, ripping the skin of her father's neck. Then the man was forcing her to move it to the side, splitting his neck in half.

"Remember this moment. It will be something to remember your whole life." She heard the words, but she was staring at the disfigured body which had been her father's. She stared at it, not saying anything. Just staring. She looked at the knife in her hand, dripping with blood and then back at her father. She had killed him. She had been forced to kill him.

Then the man was pushing her over to her mother. Her eyes were still open, but they weren't focusing on anything. Then the knife was coming down slowly. It was plunging down into her mother's heart. She couldn't stop it. The man was too strong. Then the man let go of her, and she dropped the knife. It was too much for her. She stared at her father's body, the head hanging to the body by a small sliver of skin, and her mother's body, covered in blood with eyes open wide in shock. Everything swam around like a merry-go-round. Then everything went black.

**I seriously can't believe I just wrote that. I always tried to imagine what Natasha's past had been like, and I assumed it had been a horrible nightmare. This story is going to continue through Natasha's life in training as a Soviet Union agent, an assassin, meeting Hawkeye, and then becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

Natasha woke up to find herself on a hard mattress on a floor. She sat up quickly, panicking. Then she remembered. Her parents were dead. She had killed them, and the black men had taken her. She was still not sure how to react. Her parents were dead, and she had been stolen. What was she supposed to do? She wanted to cry, but no tears would come out.

She stood up slowly and looked around. The room was freezing cold and there were no windows. It was barely light enough to see that there were about ten other young girls sleeping on the mattresses next to her. She gasped, and looked around for a way out. She saw a door and immediately ran as fast as her little legs could carry her to the door. She tried to open it, but it was heavy and locked.

Suddenly she found her voice. "MOOOOMMM!" She cried loudly. The other girls in the room stirred and several stood up quickly with a knife or gun in their hand, but they relaxed when they saw the little red haired girl crying for her parents. One of the girls, who looked about eight, crept up to Natasha and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Ssshhh. You shouldn't be crying. They will hurt you." The girl looked at her angrily.

Natasha's eyes widened. "Who will?" She whispered, frightened completely out of her wits.

The girl frowned. "The guards will hurt you. Crying is a sign of weakness that is unforgivable. If you cry, you might as well be dead."

Natasha looked around at the girls surrounding her, at the battered walls with paint falling off and insects crawling on the walls, at the knives and guns the girls held in their hands, at the hard mattresses on the floor, at the locked door, and then back at the girls.

"What are they going to do to me?"

One of the smaller girls spoke up. "We were chosen to be trained in the arts of survival and fighting. Once we pass the tests, we will be able to become assassins and spies for the Soviet Union."

Natasha looked around, confused, but she didn't have time to say anything else as the girls heard the door being unbolted. The girls immediately formed a perfectly straight line, and the girl who had first spoken to Natasha, pulled her into the line. Natasha noticed that all the girls were dressed in black skin-tight suits with the symbol of the Soviet Union on the back and their hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

The door opened, and one of the men in black walked in. He grunted as he saw the girls, and his eyes went up and down the line as if he were trying to pick someone. His eyes rested on a small girl with dark curly hair that seemed about Natasha's age. He pulled her out of line, and the girl's face paled. He once again went up and down the line, and then he pulled out several other small girls. Then he came to Natasha who stood out since she was not in the black suit. Natasha glared at the man angrily, and he grinned evilly. Then he pushed her into the small circle of girls.

Natasha saw the girls salute to the man as he pushed her out the door. Then the door closed with a bang, and he was leading them down a thin, worn down hallway. Natasha looked around wide-eyed. There were many guards standing around and many rooms with bolts over the door. Then they turned the corner into another hallway. There was one door on each side. The man leading the children went up to the guard at one door and whispered something to him.

The guard grinned and opened the door. The girls walked in, saluting to the guard as they went by. When Natasha started through the doorway, the man stopped her. "You are coming with me."

Natasha stared at him, eyes wide with fear, and then followed him down the hallway. He opened a door on the end, and motioned for her to go inside. She looked up at him hesitantly and then walked in. At a first glance, the room was empty except for a desk, but when Natasha looked around; she saw thousands of weapons hanging everywhere. She gasped and stepped back a step.

The man pushed her in again and closed the door behind them. He walked over to the desk, and sitting down, glared at Natasha. "Do you know why you are here?"

Natasha shook her head.

"When I ask you a question, I want you to speak. Do you know why you are here?"

"No, sir."

"You are here to become an assassin or spy...a Soviet Agent. Do you know what an assassin is, Agent Romanoff?"

Natasha looked around for Agent Romanoff. Then she realized he was speaking to her. She swallowed hard. "No, sir."

The man smiled and stood up. He walked over to a gun and picked it up, inspecting it carefully. "An assassin is a person who kills someone for money or for the government." He aimed the gun at the wall and pulled the trigger several times. Natasha flinched at the loud noise the gun made.

"Do you want to become an assassin, Agent Romanoff?"

"No, sir."

The man laughed loudly. "I'm sorry, but you have no choice." He picked up a black suit identical to the ones Natasha saw the girls wear. "Here is your uniform. Wear it proudly." He handed it to her, and she took it hesitantly. It was made out of nice leather that felt wonderful. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing. It was her nightgown, covered in blood. Flashbacks of the night before zoomed through her head, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Then she remembered what the girls had said. She hastily blinked away the tears, and looked at the uniform again. The man told her to put it on, and she slipped it on as best she could. She gasped. The suit was the most comfortable thing she had ever felt. The inside was made out of a type of fur that felt pleasantly warm and soft. She looked up at the man again.

The man beckoned for her to follow him. He opened the door again and started down the hallway so fast Natasha had to run to keep up with him. They returned to the door that the other girls had gone into. The guard opened the door, and Natasha walked inside.

She screamed at the sight that met her eyes. The girls she had seen in the room were fighting viciously with knives and guns and other horrible weapons. Several were on the ground, blood flowing from various parts of their body. Natasha looked at the man and then back at the girls fighting.

"Silence!" A man similar to the one Natasha was following yelled from the back of the room. The girls immediately stopped, breathing hard.

"Will one of you explain to Agent Romanoff why you are fighting?"

One of the girls stepped forward. She was a little taller than Natasha but much thinner. She had golden curly hair that was plastered to her forehead with sweat and blood. "There are too many agents, so we have been chosen to fight to the death. The last two people alive will be chosen to begin official training as a Soviet Agent."

The man spoke again, "Pick a weapon, Agent Romanoff." Natasha paled, and looked around. She realized she had no choice, and so she picked up the nearest gun. She didn't know how to use it, so she dropped it and picked up a knife.

She looked around, horribly frightened and hardly able to move as the girls began to fight again. She heard someone running towards her, and she turned around to see a girl with a gun aimed at her. She screamed as the gun went off, but the bullet missed her. She fell to the ground, and screamed again as the girl aimed at her again. A girl plunged a knife into the girl with the gun before she could shoot another bullet.

Natasha watched, horrified, as the girl fell to the ground, eyes wide with shock. Natasha looked around and saw there were only three out of the seven girls left including her. She turned around to see the other two girls fighting. Then the girl shot a bullet into the other girl's heart, and the girl dropped to the ground, dead.

Natasha wanted to scream and cry, but from what she knew so far, she would be as good as dead. She looked at the other girl who had won. The girl was trembling and was horribly white, making her black hair stand out even more.

"Deteross." The man on the side of the room spoke up after a few moments of silence.

The man who had escorted Natasha looked up. "Yes?"

"I think we have two Level B's."

"Of course." Deteross pushed Natasha and the other girl out of the room.

Natasha's legs almost gave way. In less than twenty-four hours, she had been forced to kill her parents, she woke up in a strange, horrible place, she had watched as girls killed each other, and now she was being led to the next horrible thing.

"You two will begin your official training tomorrow at 3 AM. You are expected to be down at the training room fifteen minutes early to eat." Deteross looked at the red-haired five year old. She wouldn't be able to tell the time. "Agent Seleb."

The girl next to Natasha looked up, startled. "Yes, sir." She answered.

"You are in charge of Agent Romanoff. You will be responsible for her appearing at meals, training, and other duties."

"Yes, sir." She replied, and with that, the two girls began a friendship that would continue on for the next few years.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please Review and tell me what you think...how I should continue this...esc. Feedback is really appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

Natasha followed Deteross and the girl called Agent Seleb until they came to a metal door. Deteross stopped abruptly, and Natasha almost tripped over herself in her haste to stop. He turned around, eyeing them almost suspiciously. "Once you pass through this door, you will not come out until you have completed your training or died in the process. Only one out of every five girls will make it out of this building alive. Let us hope it might be one of you."

Natasha swallowed hard as the door slowly opened. Then Deteross was walking through, and she followed him, walking into a whole new life full of pain, suffering, and horror. She let out a small gasp as she took in her surroundings. They were in a large room with thousands of computers and screens lining the walls. Woman dressed in the same black outfit as the guards were scrolling through the screens and writing things down. Natasha looked around wide-eyed, hardly hearing Deteross explain the room and its purpose.

Then he was moving on into a hallway with more guards, but this time they were women. He opened a door, and Natasha looked in. It was a dormitory full of thin, wiry beds. "You will be sleeping here, both of you." He said, and without further explanation, continued down the hallway and through another doorway. By this time, Natasha was completely lost as to who was who and where to go, but she didn't dare ask any questions for fear of what might happen.

Beyond the hallway was a huge gym where at least twenty girls were training. Several women in the common black outfit were yelling out orders and demonstrating. Natasha clapped a hand to her mouth as one of the women slapped a girl roughly across her face several times. She watched as the girl saluted the trainer, and returned to her fighting, a pink silhouette of a hand on her face.

"Come with me." Natasha looked up to see a trainer standing stiffly a few feet away. "Agent Romanoff...Agent Seleb..." She started off with Deteross behind her, and Natasha slowly followed after them. She was very tired, and her legs were aching in protest, but she had a feeling the day was far from over. They went through an entryway off the gym and into a small room. There were several desks in the room, but nothing else. The trainer sat down at one of the desks, and Deteross whispered something to her before he left.

Natasha and the other girl stood awkwardly, trying not to squirm as she glared at them. After a few moments of silence, the trainer spoke. "Today, you will be learning your schedule, learning where you have to be at what time, and then taking tests." She slapped two pieces of paper down in front of her on the desk. "These are your schedules. Agent Seleb, you already know you are to help Agent Romanoff. We will blame you if she is late or does not show up."

The girl nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Study them!" The trainer suddenly snapped. "We do not let you have extra possessions except for weapons anywhere but in the training room, so you will not be able to carry these schedules around. I will have expected you to memorize your schedules by the time I come back." With that, the trainer stood up and stalked out of the room.

The other girl looked uncertainly at Natasha before walking up to the desk and taking the two papers. She squinted at them before looking up at Natasha. "What is your name?" She asked.

"Natasha." It was the first word she had spoken for over three hours, and it felt weird to finally feel free able to speak again.

"I am Anna, but they want us to call us by our last name. So I am Agent Seleb, and you are Agent Romanoff."

Natasha nodded dumbly and watched as Anna squinted down at the schedules again. "We have the same schedule." Anna handed the schedule to Natasha, who took it hesitantly. She knew how to read some words, but for the most part, did not know how to read. She looked down at it, and frowned.

_5:00 AM-breakfast_

_5:15 AM-training_

_1:00 PM-break_

_1:30 PM-languages_

_3:30 PM-weapons_

_4:30 PM-dinner_

_4:45 PM-training_

_10:00 PM-return to dormitories_

"Can you read time?" Anna asked.

"No." Natasha whispered, horribly confused with all that was going on. Anna looked down at the schedules again, and ten minutes later, knew the schedule by heart. A few moments later, the trainer came in again. She sat down at the desk, and glared at the two girls.

"Agent Seleb, recite the schedule." Anna squeezed her eyes shut and recited the schedule perfectly though slowly. The trainer nodded, and stood up from the desk again. "Follow me." She walked out of the room and into the gym. Natasha and Anna hurried after her. Natasha noticed that on one wall of the gym, there were many doors with numbers painted on them. The trainer headed straight for one of these doors and, opening it, stalked inside. Inside, a man was standing with his back to them. He turned around slowly, and Natasha and Anna both gasped. He was an older man with a horrible scar running down his face, disfiguring it completely.

"This is Darkkia. He is the head supervisor of the Black Widow Program, which is the training you are in now." Darkkia walked forward until he was inches away from Natasha. He bent down to look at her. He was so close Natasha wanted to back away but fought the urge. She flinched slightly as his fingers fingered one of her red locks.

"Red is a powerful color." He whispered softly, sending shivers down her spine. "It can mean many things...hate, blood, passion. I see a fighter in you, Agent Romanoff. A fighter that I have not seen in a long time." He bent down until his mouth was inches away from her ear. "Bring it out. It will serve you well."

Natasha sighed with relief as he turned around and sat down in a large, black chair. He drummed his fingers against his chair, staring thoughtfully at the two, terrified girls. "There are not many girls in training. Overall I think there will be only twelve girls who will successfully pass the tests and become some of the best agents in the world." He leaned forward, his eyes piercing through the two girls. "This is no ordinary training. There will be surprises that even you, with your childish imaginations, could not conjure up. Be careful, and you might survive."

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. BethN, I promise the next chapter will be about her training. XD Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"_Be careful, and you might survive."_

The words echoed over and over in poor Natasha's head. She was too confused to grasp the full meaning of the words, but she realized that most likely, she would die in the next couple years. She stared in fear and awe at the old, deformed man. He stood up from the chair and turned his back to them. "I am done with these two. Take them away."

The trainer pushed Natasha and Anna out the door and shut it after them. "Follow me." She snapped abruptly. Natasha paused, her mind still full of horrible thoughts of dying, and it took her a few moments to register what the trainer had said. When she finally realized what the trainer had said, she looked up quickly only to see the trainer glaring at her furiously. "Agent Romanoff, immediate discipline is an unwritten law here. You have only been here a few hours so I will not punish you, but from now on, obey without hesitation."

Natasha clenched her fists, forcing the rising lump in her throat down, and then nodded quickly. Then they were off again, walking down one hallway and up a next. Next thing Natasha knew, she was in another room, this time with many desks cluttering the room. Five girls were writing something down on paper at their desks, and a trainer was inspecting them, walking up and down the various aisles.

When the door opened, the girls had stood up, saluting the trainer. Natasha could see their eyes inspecting her curiously, and she blushed, ducking her head down. "Two Level B's for you, sir. The younger one just arrived yesterday." The trainer saluted the other trainer and then stalked out of the room.

The trainer, a tall, thin man, walked over to them, and frowned. "How old are you?" He asked Natasha.

"Five?" Natasha whispered hesitantly.

The trainer frowned even more. "You are quite young to begin the training. In fact, the youngest agent we have had so far. And you arrived yesterday. Extraordinary. Do you know how to read or write?"

"No."

Natasha watched as the trainer returned to his desk. He rapped on the table sharply. "Agent Martonili, please explain to Agents Seleb and Romanoff what you accomplish in this session."

A tall girl with hard, blue eyes that seemed to pierce through Natasha stood up from her seat quickly and saluted the trainer. "We learn six different languages: English, Spanish, German, Italian, Latin, and French including how to read and write in each language. We also enhance our Russian vocabulary, writing, and reading."

"Agent Martonili." The trainer rapped on his table again, and the girl sat down. Then he turned to Natasha and Anna. "Observe and learn. You are not to participate in this class yet however."

Anna saluted and started down the aisle to an empty desk. Natasha quickly followed her actions.

An hour and a half later, the language session was done, and the agents were standing up, saluting the trainer, and stalking out of the room. The two little girls stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do until the trainer walked up to them. He glared at them, a habit Natasha noticed common with the three trainers she had been introduced to. "Next you have weapon training. I will show you to the gym."

With this, the trainer turned sharply on his heel and strode out of the room. Natasha and Anna quickly followed him to the gym Natasha had already seen earlier that day. This time there were only several girls standing in the center of the room. They were doing simple stretches and a trainer was walking around, commenting once in a while.

Natasha and Anna were led to the trainer, and she nodded to them coldly. "Welcome, Agents. My name is Trainer Sumeron. I will be instructing you in the art of weapons." She turned to the rest of the agents and clapped her hands sharply. "Pick up a gun."

Natasha looked around and noticed a wall lined with various types of guns hanging on pegs. The other agents were heading to the wall, and she followed them, wondering which gun to use. The other girls were picking random guns, so Natasha grabbed the gun nearest to her. It was a small, silver gun that felt cool on her hand. She looked up to see the other girls beginning to line up in the center of the gym. She hurried to follow them.

The trainer spun around, a black gun in her hand, and shot a small target at the other side of the room straight in the center. Natasha flinched as the shot rang out around the large room. Then the trainer turned back to the girls. "I will instruct you on the position to hold the gun you have chosen and show you how to aim."

Natasha looked down at her gun and shuddered. Little did she know that these guns would save her life more times than she could ever count.

The rest of the day went by in a blur for Natasha. She went into training for several hours and came out so bruised and sore that she could hardly walk. Then they were in the dormitories and she was tumbling into the hard bed that would be hers for many years.

Natasha fell asleep almost immediately. Her first day of training was over. Her first day in a whole new world that would change the rest of her life.

**A short chapter this time...I'm planning on skipping now to when she is a teenager in her heavy training as an agent. What do you think?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Most of my reviewers suggested skipping to when she is in her early teens. I'm sorry if you wanted me to keep her at the same age for a few more chapters. I hope you will still read the story!**

"Level E's to gym immediately. All Level E's." A voice blasted throughout the whole building, jerking girls out of their sleep and calling the agents already out of bed and eating in the small cafeteria. The daily call was like an alarm to the younger agents who were allowed to sleep a few minutes more. In the cafeteria, the advanced agents were springing up from their chairs and making their way to the gym.

There were only eight advanced agents out of the twenty that went in nine years ago. They were the oldest agents in training. After they completed the last level of training, they would be tested to become a real Soviet agent. Only three before them had passed the test, and even then, barely.

Soon all the Level E agents were lined up in the gym, saluting the trainers. They were all incredibly fit and beautiful, one of the goals of training. They believed beauty was one of the greatest weapons in existence, and one of the biotechnology tests made on the agents succeeded in making them stunningly gorgeous at a young age as well as lengthen their life span.

The agents were all gorgeous, but one agent in the line stood out especially with her bright red, curly hair and long lashes.

It was none other than Natasha, now fourteen years old and the best agent in the entire training program. She had changed considerably from the nervous, bouncy five-year old. Now she was a cold, breath taking beauty who looked like she wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bullet into a poor child's heart. In fact, she probably would and be proud of it too.

A trainer clapped her hands, and the eight agents broke their salute and crossed their arms with their feet apart slightly, the normal position when at ease. "You are to have a blitz on the Level D's tonight when they are sleeping. Weapons will not be provided. You will go in with nothing but your training and kill as many as you can in the two minutes you will attack. The Level D agents that managed to survive will move up to Level E, and you, agents, will take the final test before you become official Soviet Agents."

The eight agents broke into grins at these words. This test is what they had been training for their entire lives. If they completed the test, they would be able to start on missions.

"Torture training will start in two minutes. You are dismissed." The trainer saluted the agents and left the gym. The agents made their way to the special room where they learned the various forms of torture, how best to survive them, and even practiced some.

Natasha flipped her curly mass of hair out of her face and smirked at the other agents. "Which agents are you planning to kill?"

An agent with straight brown hair and hard blue eyes laughed. "Remember when they blitzed us three years ago? They all headed for the weaker agents. I don't remember them even coming close to you, Natasha."

Natasha's eyes hardened. "Not until they killed Agent Seleb and I attacked. I still have that scar on my shoulder from when an agent tried to stab me with her knife. Good thing that agent died in the training or else she would have found herself facing me."

The other agents laughed, and the agent with the brown hair said, "We should go for the stronger agents first."

Another agent broke in. "We only have two minutes. If we want to kill more agents, than we should go for the weaker agents. That's really the purpose of this blitz anyway. They are trying to sift out the stronger agents and kill the weaker ones. If we try to kill the stronger ones, than many weak agents will move up to Level E."

Natasha and the other agent shrugged, and Natasha retorted. "I know, but what is the fun in that?"

The other agents didn't reply since they had reached the torture room. "We can talk about it later." The brown haired agent whispered, winking at Natasha.

When they entered the room, they saw Darkkia sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. They immediately saluted, wondering why he was here. He rarely ever showed himself to the agents in training, and when he did, it was always for a special event.

The trainer in the room motioned to Darkkia. "Darkkia will be watching you all day since he has a special test to make, and he wants one of you to test it." Darkkia nodded at the agents coldly, but he didn't say anything.

The agents glanced at each other quickly, slightly puzzled, before lining up. Natasha noticed the long board in the center of the room complete with straps, water, and several cloths. _"Waterboarding..."_ She thought and groaned silently.

Throughout the rest of the day, the eight agents went into martial arts, training and weaponry, with Darkkia followed them everywhere, glaring at them the entire time. Finally, they finished their last round of target shooting, each of which Natasha struck dead on every time, and headed back to their dormitories to take showers and prep for the night. Darkkia followed them to their dormitory, closing and locking the door as he stepped inside.

The agents froze and waited for whatever came next. Darkkia looked around at all of them and cleared his throat. "Agent Romanoff." He finally croaked.

Natasha saluted him and walked up to him. "Yes, sir?" Her mind was whirling with possibilities. So far as she knew, this had never happened to anyone before. Maybe it was part of the test?

"Come with me." Darkkia strode out of the room. Natasha hurried to follow him, glancing at the other agents with a puzzled look on her face. She followed him into the security room, a room she hadn't been in for about seven years. The trainers in the room looked up and saluted Darkkia. Natasha could feel their eyes watching her curiously. She flashed them a slightly angry look and watched Darkkia as he typed in the code to the door that _led out of the training building. _

Her heart pounded in her chest as she realized...she was going outside. Something that had never happened since she had entered the Red Room nine years ago. It was unheard of for an agent to leave the Red Room while in training.

Darkkia opened the door and walked through, not even glancing at her. She slipped through the door after him, glancing around as she followed him down the hallway. It was almost identical to the training room, but there were windows looking out into the snowy mountains where the Red Room was located.

She watched as he opened a door and walked in. When she followed him into the room, she stepped back a pace at the sight before her. The room was aglow with a soft blue light that came from a small contraption in the center of the room. She stared at it curiously, trying to figure out what it was until a voice that was not Darkkia's called her name.

She saluted automatically and looked around for the source of the voice. A dark figure stepped out from the shadows, and nodded at Natasha. He was not in the normal trainer outfit, in fact he probably wasn't even a trainer as he looked like he hadn't exercised once in his life. He was in a white lab coat, making Natasha decide he was a scientist for the Soviet Union.

Darkkia gestured at the contraption in the middle of the room. "This, Agent Romanoff, contains energy that we have discovered as a valuable weapon. We have figured out a way so that these gloves..." The scientist handed her leather gloves with strange tubes attached and a blue light similar to the light in the contraption. "...can deliver a shock of up to 30,000 volts. You are to test them."

Natasha smiled, a cold smile. "It would be my honor, sir." She stroked the soft fabric of the gloves, immediately loving the weapon even though she didn't necessarily know how to use it.

"Come with me." Darkkia beckoned for her to follow him. They walked down the hallway to another room that was larger and looked more like a gym than anything else. Several trainers were in the room, and they saluted the three when they walked in. "Put on the gloves." Natasha slipped the gloves on. The fabric was tough, probably bullet proof.

Darkkia motioned for a trainer to come forward. "Put your hands on her neck and touch your middle finger with your thumb." Natasha did as he told and gasped as she touched her middle finger and felt a surge of energy shoot from the gloves into the trainer's neck. The trainer shook for a second and then collapsed to the ground.

Natasha stared in astonishment in the gloves for a second and then glanced up at Darkkia, grinning. She loved this weapon.

**Tell me what you think...Mysterygal5, I included the "Widow Bites" just for you. Hope you liked it. There will be more on it in the next chapter. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_Darkkia motioned for a trainer to come forward. "Put your hands on her neck and touch your middle finger with your thumb." Natasha did as he told and gasped as she touched her middle finger and felt a surge of energy shoot from the gloves into the trainer's neck. The trainer shook for a second and then collapsed to the ground._

_Natasha stared in astonishment in the gloves for a second and then glanced up at Darkkia, grinning. She loved this weapon._

"What are they called, sir?" She asked.

Darkkia smiled softly and tapped his fingers together, a habit he had developed over the years. "Widow's Bite." He answered shortly.

Natasha nodded and surveyed the gloves again, her mind whirling with the many possible ways of killing someone with the unique weapon. She glanced down at the electrified trainer and then looked up at Darkkia. "Is she dead?" Her voice sounded almost hopeful, as if she had hoped to kill the trainer, but Darkkia shook his head.

"The gloves were programmed to strike with a low voltage. But there is a way to raise the voltage right here." He pointed to a small circular looking object near the thumb. "Twisting that clockwise will raise the voltage by a thousand every time you turn it."

Natasha fingered the wheel and then turned it slowly until it was at an estimate of 15,000. Before she could do anything else, a trainer on the sidelines coughed and nodded towards Natasha. "Sir, Agent Romanoff has a blitz to attend tonight. If it is possible, she needs to be back in the Red Room to prepare for the event."

Darkkia nodded absently. "Give me the gloves, Agent Romanoff." Natasha reluctantly pulled of the gloves and placed them in his outstretched hand. "So you are to have your final blitz?" Darkkia glanced up at her curiously.

Natasha smiled slightly, a cold and chilling smile. "Yes, sir. Then we will go on to take our final test."

"Yes, so I've heard..." Darkkia looked at her thoughtfully. "I have been designing some ideas for the test lately. It will make me most pleased if you pass, Agent Romanoff. You will be a valuable asset to the Soviet Union."

"Thank you, sir." Natasha raised her chin proudly and saluted Darkkia before striding out of the room with several trainers.

On the way back to her dormitory, she had a hard time keeping her mind on the upcoming blitz. The widow bites had fascinated her beyond extreme, and she couldn't wait to feel the cool fabric on her hands and the sudden surge of energy that immediately shocked her opponent.

By the time she returned to her room, she had blocked out the new weapons completely from her mind and was thinking of various tactics for the blitz. This was when she really truly showed everyone that she could be the greatest Black Widow in the program by far.

One of the trainers escorting her back touched her wrist as if to show the time. "You have ten minutes to get ready, Agent Romanoff. The other agents are already in the gym waiting."

Natasha nodded and slipped over to her bed quickly. She took off her utility belt with some of her many weapons and unhooked her two guns from her thighs. Then she slipped out a knife from her sleeve. Finally she was ready. She took a deep breath and then walked out confidently into the hallway. She opened the door to the gym to see the other seven agents in a line, being checked for weapons by two trainers.

They all watched her curiously as she stepped into line, wondering where she had been and what she had done. Natasha glared at them, knowing all too well that Darkkia would have her killed if she gave away any information. A trainer came up to her and started feeling her for weapons. Natasha almost rolled her eyes at the necessary step. She hated to be touched by anyone unless she was fighting them.

"Agents!" A trainer barked. The agents saluted quickly and watched the trainer as she walked up and down the line. "In two minutes, you will start your blitz on the Level D's. Tomorrow, two of you will take the test, so be prepared and be smart. Even small injuries from this blitz could be the end of you in the test."

Natasha glanced at the clock. It was almost 1:00 AM. Where had the time gone? It felt like just five minutes ago that she had been summoned by Darkkia to test his new weapon. She followed the other agents into the hallway and around the corner to stand in front of the door to the dormitory of the Level D's. The trainer looked at his watch. The agents waited, a tense silence filling the air. Then the trainer signaled for them to make their move.

Natasha slipped into the room along with all the other agents and slipped over to the nearest bed. Good. It was a smaller agent who Natasha knew was one of the worst in the level. She clapped a hand over her mouth and in one single motion, left the shocked girl dead on her bed with a single yank of her head.

Natasha grinned and headed over the next bed. This girl was already awake because of another agent who had gasped sharply. Natasha tried to kick the girl in the chin, but the agent ducked and rolled off the bed into an attack position. In a lightening move, Natasha had her thighs around the girl's neck and twisted sharply, laughing silently at the cracking noise made when she broke the girl's neck. It was her signature move, and it worked every time.

She moved on to the next girl who was ducking behind her bed. Natasha didn't hesitate. She delivered a swift kick to her rib cage, leaving at least two ribs cracked, and then made a swift uppercut to the girl's chin. Then she jumped onto the girl's neck and in two seconds, the girl was dead along with the rest. A shrill blast sounded in the hallway: the signal for the agents to retreat from the room. Natasha kicked the body aside and slipped out of the room.

The trainer nodded at the agents and then pointed to their dormitory. Natasha nudged the agent next to her, who gave a small thumbs up and smirked. The girls reached their dormitory and headed for their beds. Several trainers came in a few moments later and nodded approvingly at the girls.

"Agents," one of them spoke up. "You killed a total of ten agents and injured four, a good number but not a record. Please come up and right the names of the agents you have killed next to your name.

Natasha waited her turn impatiently and then wrote down the names of the agents she had killed. She noted that out of all the agents who had already written down their kill, she had the most number of agents killed in two minutes. She grinned and flicked her curly hair out of her face before heading over to her bed and getting ready for the night.

When they had all finished writing on the list, the trainer clapped sharply for their attention. "These reports will be sent to Darkkia who will then organize a schedule for the tests. He already assigned two agents for the test tomorrow though. Agent Petrov and Agent Gelb...you two will start your tests at 6:30 AM tomorrow morning. Darkkia expects you to be in the gym warming up two hours before."

Natasha looked at the two girls, a jealous feeling rising inside of her. But she kept her cool mask even though she was frustrated and impatient. Why couldn't she have gone? She went to bed, this question echoing in her head over and over until she finally realized...even if it wasn't tomorrow, she might become a Soviet Agent in the next couple of days. She fell asleep soon after, dreaming of the widow bites and become a soviet agent.

Little did she know the pain she would have to endure in the next couple of days. Pain that would change her life completely and leave her without a smile or laugh for many years.

**So sorry for not updating sooner! Things have been hectic. ;) So...what do you think? I'm kind of excited for the final test since I am making it a major point in her life.**


	7. Chapter 7

Natasha paced restlessly in the gym, glancing at the clock every few seconds. There were no classes since the blitz because of the final tests. Already, four girls had gone in for the final test, and it was rumored that two had committed suicide to escape the pain and the other two had died almost instantly.

But it wasn't for this reason that Natasha paced around the gym, sometimes going through a whole fighting sequence with an imaginary enemy before returning to walking up and down. There were four girls left to enter the tests, and the next two had already been announced. But she wasn't one of them, and it angered her that the Black Widow Program was making her wait this long to become a soviet agent...if she should pass.

This thought made Natasha even angrier. What was getting into her to make her feel that way? She sighed and headed over to the rack of guns. There was no one else in the gym at that moment, and she might as well practice for the test. It would be better than pacing. She picked up her favorite gun, a sleek silver gun that she had used the very first day she had arrived.

For the next two hours, loud shots could be heard echoing from the gym. But then, after several rapid fires, there was a complete silence. Natasha had returned the gun to the rack and had headed towards her room that she shared with the other eight-no four- girls. The other three girls were sitting on their beds, polishing weapons in a tense silence that was only broken when Natasha opened the door.

The girls all nodded at Natasha but did not say anything. To Natasha, the eerie silence made her restless and angry. It was always like this whenever agents were going in for the final test, but it was different this year for Natasha. She was finally ready to do what she had been preparing for almost her entire life. It was hard to know what to think, and she was excited and, even though she didn't realize it, scared out of her wits. This was the cause for the constant pacing. She had convinced herself that she was angry at the Red Room for making her wait, but it was really because she couldn't identify the strange, feeling that had fallen over her since the blitz.

After a few moments of silence, Natasha finally spoke, breaking the silence that had lasted for the last couple days.

"They all died."

One of the girls looked up and frowned slightly impatiently. "That's just a rumor."

Natasha shook her head, "I heard Darkkia and some of the trainers discussing it in the office while I was shooting."

The girls all shrugged and continued with their work. Deaths were common in the Red Room, and it was to the point where you expected it.

But Natasha wasn't finished. "They don't expect anyone to pass. They said the test was too hard, but Darkkia isn't going to change it." She couldn't tell the girls that Darkkia had thought she would be the only one capable of passing. That just seemed wrong somehow, besides the point that Darkkia would probably have her killed for mentioning that.

The girls had stopped their work and were putting their weapons away. It was only 10:00 PM, way too early to even think of sleeping. The two girls taking the test tomorrow headed for the gym, leaving Natasha and the other girl in the room.

"Why do you think they are trying to kill us?" The girl spoke up, her bright blue eyes shining coldly.

Natasha looked at her, surprised but didn't say anything, knowing all too well about the five cameras hidden in the room, watching their every move. This topic would go under the list of reasons why agents were killed, and she didn't want to die right before this test.

But the girl continued to speak. "I don't care if they hear...I'm going to die in the next couple days anyhow just like they said. I'm far from the best in this program."

Natasha stood up abruptly and shook her head angrily. "Don't go there. The Red Room has been nice enough to give us this training. You should consider yourself lucky."

The girl stood up too and stamped her foot. "Lucky? You think having to kill your parents, being forced to kill friends that were your only family, and then, when you almost reach the end of this nightmare, realizing that you are about to die too? They have poisoned your mind, Agent Romanoff. Poisoned it!"

With this exclamation, Natasha stalked out of the room, hoping the girl would come down by herself. She closed the door and leaned against the wall wearily, her mind whirling with the reality of what the girl had just said. She hardly remembered her parents, let alone killing them. She knew she had, but she had almost convinced herself that they had died in the hospital fire story that was a cover up story the Red Room had given her.

She was interrupted by her thoughts by a loud shot coming from the dorm room followed by a moan and a metal click. She didn't hesitate, already knowing what had happened. Trainers were running down the hallway towards the room, and she followed them into the room to see the girl, eyes open wide, with a bullet hole going straight through her head.

Natasha sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, knowing what would be coming next. First, all the girls in the Red Room would be gathered into the gym. Then the body would be shown, and then came the punishment for the suicide. It varied every time, and Natasha could only guess what it would be this time.

"Agent Romanoff. Out!" A trainer barked angrily at her, and she left the room and headed for the gym. Trainers were already rapping sharply on rooms and calling agents to the gym. Natasha pushed her way through the crowd of girls heading for the gym. Most of the girls immediately parted to let her through, knowing her as the best agent in the Red Room. In the gym, Natasha glanced around for the other two agents in Level E.

They were over at the target range, talking to each other in low, excited voices. Natasha hurried over to them, and sighed. "That was Agent Renne. She shot a bullet through her head." The two girls glanced at each other and shook their heads slowly. Natasha didn't have time to tell them anything else though because several trainers were ordering them to form a straight line. The three girls hurried into the line and saluted the trainer as she stalked by.

In less than a minute, a perfectly straight line was formed, consisting of about thirty girls, all ranging from five to sixteen years of age. For some of the youngest agents, this would be their first time seeing one of their own agents commit suicide. She wondered how they would deal with the punishment that could sometimes last several months or just be a sharp punch to the face. Natasha could see the corpse being wheeled in by several agents, then the speech began, talking about how honored the agents were to be able to be trained and defend their country.

Natasha knew the speech by heart, but this time, she listened with a different attitude, remembering Agent Renne's speech about how horrible their lives were. Was her mind really poisoned by the trainers and Darkkia? Then the speech was over, and Natasha held her breath, waiting for the upcoming punishment to be announced.

"...will result in a day without any meals."

Natasha groaned silently. Why did this have to happen right before the final test? She would most likely be taking the test the day after tomorrow. At that moment, chance of surviving the test looked very small to Natasha. She returned to the dorm room, silent.

How could she ever survive the test?

**Ah! I'm so sorry for not updating. I've been really busy ever since the beginning of December. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll be updating in the next couple days with the final test.**


	8. Chapter 8

Natasha sat on her bed, her stomach growling furiously. She had had nothing the day before, and breakfast wasn't for another hour. Besides that, today was the day she was to take the test and most likely the day she died. The other two girls, one who was almost as good as Natasha, had taken the test already, and were reported dead twenty minutes later. She clenched her fists, trying to stop her body from trembling with hunger…or was it fear?

Just then, the door opened, and Natasha stood up quickly and saluted. It was a trainer, her face as stern and dead as any other trainer. "Agent Romanoff," The trainer said shortly. "As the only Level E agent left alive, Darkkia has decided for you to take the test at 2 PM. As you already know, you must be waiting in the gym two hours early to warm up." Natasha waited till the trainer slammed the door before breaking her salute and falling on her bed. Why did she have to wait so long to take the test? To die? She groaned slightly and her hand went down to the gun at her side, the only comfort she had had for the past three years. She stayed like that for a long time, thinking about various things before standing up and heading to the cafeteria. No one was there yet as it was still too early for the other agents to get up. She grabbed several ration bars and a tin cup of water before sitting down at one of the long gray tables in the center of the cafeteria.

Before she had a chance to open one of the ration bars, several trainers entered. She immediately sprang up and saluted, though her mind and stomach was on the food. The trainers nodded at her, but otherwise did nothing to acknowledge her presence, so she sat down again and began to bite into one of the ration bars hungrily. She soon finished, and hurried to the gym before the other agents arrived at the cafeteria. As usual, no one was at the gym since the tests were taking place. She started limbering up with stretches that many of the other agents couldn't even get started on, and then walked over to the gun rack. Several minutes later, she had hit every possible target in the gym straight in the center, and was climbing up one of the high walls like a large spider.

Several hours later, Natasha was back in her room, cleaning her weapons, trying to keep as busy as possible. Still, she felt like nothing could speed up the two long hours till the test. She should be back in the gym now as it was almost noon. She sighed, stood up, and walked out of the room, a glare on her face to hide her always-rising fear. There was a trainer at the door of the gym, and Natasha automatically saluted her before grabbing the handle to the door. "Agent Romanoff."

Natasha paused and glanced at the trainer. "Yes?" Her heart thumped loudly as the trainer pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Before you enter the gym, please list the number of weapons you have at this moment."

Natasha went through the long list of twelve weapons that she had collected throughout the years. Then the trainer nodded, opened the door for her and then closed it again. Natasha heard the lock click and swallowed nervously. She glanced around, wondering where to begin, but before she could do anything else, she sensed something moving to the side of her and whirled around. Nothing was there. _"Imagining things is not a good sign, Natasha." _She thought, and took out one of her guns from her thigh, walking to the targets. An hour later, she was still shooting random targets, doing it more to calm her nerves than to practice.

Then she put her gun back in its place and started practicing various fighting stances and moves. A small creak behind her made her whirl around only to come face to face with one of the trainers holding a gun. Natasha paused. The trainer was just standing there eyeing Natasha coldly, hand on the trigger. Was it a trap? Apparently it was as the trainer shot the gun a split second later. Natasha ducked out of the way and started rolling on the ground, avoiding the bullets. Then she flipped off the ground and in one movement, sprang straight toward the trainer and knocked the gun out her hand. The trainer immediately took out a knife, and, twirling it expertly, kicked Natasha to the floor. Then she was on top of her and trying to stab with the knife. Natasha grunted loudly as she grabbed the trainer's arm and twisted it right before the knife made contact with her chest. She then sprang up, flicking the knife up into the air with her foot right before the trainer grabbed it and caught it. Before the trainer could get up, Natasha had thrown the knife directly into the trainer's heart.

Natasha brushed her hands off and put the knife along with another one, adding it to her collection of knives. Her mind was whirling with possibilities. Was this the actual test? It wasn't even two yet. The time must be another trick. Natasha sighed and rolled the trainer's corpse to one side of the gym. Then she hurried over to center where she had a good view of everything and began practicing again. Forty minutes later, nothing had happened, but Natasha was still tense and alert for more trouble. She was right in the middle of a complex flip when she saw an arrow from above headed straight towards her. The arrow streaked by and buried itself in a wooden post as Natasha ducked and rolled out of the way in the nick of time. This time she didn't have a chance to recover before four other trainers ran into the room and took out their guns. Natasha heard a growl and whirled around to see the trainers' dogs, sharp teeth bared and ready to attack. She looked around quickly, trying to find a way to deal with the situation. Obviously, she would not be able to face them all at the same time. She needed to find a way so that they could not attack her all at once. Then it came to her.

A gun shot fired, and Natasha slid to the floor and came up running for one of the walls. She ducked, flipped, and summersaulted to avoid the gunshots. The dogs were soon nearly on top of her as they were faster than she was. She reached the wall but cried out as a bullet grazed her left arm, tearing the fabric and nicking the skin. On one side of the gym was a balcony near the ceiling that agents had to climb to reach. Natasha was heading for this, and started to climb the wall, clinging to small holes that had been put into the wall. She managed to get to the top, but not before another bullet hit her calf. Her uniform softened the blow, but it still was enough to make Natasha sway and cling to the wall in agony. Then she was on the balcony, gun in hand. In two seconds, a trainer was down and two dogs. The other trainers began to crawl up the wall after her, but Natasha shot two of them before they reached the top. She missed the last one however, and the trainer managed to reach the balcony. Natasha had just enough time to pull out a knife before the trainer leaped on her. The knife plunged through the trainer's chest, making a sickening sound, and Natasha kicked the body over the side. The rest of the dogs she managed to kill in a few minutes, and she collapsed, her heart thumping loudly. She stayed like that for a few minutes, but she knew it was far from over, so she pulled herself up to a sitting position and fixed up her calf as well as she could.

Two small chimes told her that it was 2:00. The time her test was supposed to start. Natasha stood up and climbed down the wall, wincing as her calf protested with sharp pains. The gym was a complete mess with blood and dead bodies scattered everywhere. Natasha pushed all the corpses to one side, taking all the weapons she needed, and then once again, stood in the center, this time resting and watching.

At 2:01, a trainer entered calmly, but Natasha immediately pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. The trainer did not seem to notice, nor did she pull any weapons out. Instead, she took out a piece of paper and a pen, and scanned the room. "Agent Romanoff, you are accused of murdering five trainers. Please come with me."


	9. Chapter 9

"_Agent Romanoff, you are accused of murdering five trainers. Please come with me."_

Natasha heard the clatter of footsteps behind her and assumed that an army of trainers was behind her. Her heart thumped loudly and her mind was whirling with possibilities. Was this still the test? After all, every agent had killed at least one trainer before in training, so why were they arresting her now? It must be the test, but why? She had been expecting weapons and torture but not this!

The trainer stepped closer to Natasha and began to take her weapons. Natasha tensed up, hating it when another person touched her. Then all her valuable weapons were gone, and they were leading her into a corridor that she had never been in. But she knew what it was. This was where all the rebellious agents and dead bodies were taken. Where they went after this she did not know, but wherever it was, they were taking her to it, and she was powerless. After several turns, they opened a heavy metal door and shoved her inside. Natasha glared at them angrily until they slammed the door, and then slumped to the floor and looked around her surroundings. It was a cold, bare room with metal walls and no visible way to escape. But Natasha knew them better than that. If this was still part of the test, there would have to be a way out. She stood up slowly, ignoring the painful throbbing in her calf, and began to inspect every inch of the room. There were no cracks in the walls and when she knocked against them, it wasn't a hollow sound but thick and heavy. The floor was the same; no way of escape.

Natasha took a deep breath and began to go through all the possibilities. Patience was not one of her best assets, but in this case, she had to go through every little detail. One hour later, she was still thinking and was growing more frustrated by the minute. She was so deep in thought that she failed to hear the small click of a ceiling panel moving. But she did notice when what seemed like hundreds of black widows dropped down on the other side of the room from the hole. It took her two seconds to realize what to do. The panels must be the only means of escape. But how to get up there?

Natasha wasn't the best agent for no reason however. She backed towards the spiders and away from the wall. Then without any hesitation, she sprang to the wall her feet first, and then leapt towards the hole, bouncing off the wall like a frog. She managed to grab with one hand the edge of the hole before gravity pulled her down, then scrambled up into the ceiling. Luckily there were no spiders in the dark, foul tunnel or she would have been done for. She hesitated slightly, wondering where to go. It was a long tunnel going in multiple directions, and she had no idea what possible dangers lay in wait for her. She paused near the entrance of each possible route, and then started off down the one that smelled the freshest.

To Natasha, in the complete dark, not knowing what lay in store for her, it seemed like years of walking in the complete dark. Several times she had to fend off small weapons and animals, and once she came in contact with a gruesome animal which looked like a rat except for much larger that managed to tear the flesh on her cheek and forehead. Still she kept on going as if in a dream, not knowing or really caring where the tunnel led her.

Finally, she saw a change in the light which seemed to be the end of the tunnel and began running towards it. The air felt cool and fresh against her aching body, and she breathed it in deeply. Then she was out of the tunnel and standing in shock. She was outside. Something she had longed for ever since she came here. They had never let the agents outside, but had only opened the several small windows in the place to let it air out. There was snow on the ground, and Natasha touched it gingerly, enjoying the cold stinging feeling, before taking in her surroundings. Behind her was the training building, where she had lived for nine years. It looked much bigger on the outside, almost like a castle made out of bricks. But Natasha was not one to enjoy the beauty in life. Her mind was on the next course of action. Was she really supposed to escape through the panel? It would have seemed that something or someone would be out here waiting for her.

She hesitated, wondering what to do, before slowly walking towards the training building. This was her life, and she wanted to go back. Maybe they would kill her, but she didn't care at this point. All she wanted was to be an official Black Widow for the Soviet Union and do what she did best: kill.

Natasha was almost to the door when something shoved her to the ground. She quickly flipped herself before she fell completely to the ground and observed a huge male trainer standing over her. So the test wasn't done yet. She had done the right thing. Natasha smiled coldly and sprang up as the heavy trainer tried to kick her. She sprang onto his back with her arms around his neck before he could blink an eye and started choking him as hard as she could. The trainer however flipped out a knife and slashed at one of her hands, making her wince and fall off. Then he was on top of her with an evil looking tool that was dripping some poisonous solution. Natasha struggled violently, but the trainer had pinned her down too hard. She watched as he motioned to the needle.

"See this Agent Romanova? You've seen it before. One prick and you can die in two hours if you don't take care of it properly. I am going to inject this into your neck and if you survive, you will pass the test." Natasha glared angrily, not daring to show any fear, as he pricked her with the needle. The trainer grinned. "Take care, Romanova." Then he left.

Natasha pulled herself up to a sitting position and leaned against a rock, gritting at the small stinging sensation in her neck. She grabbed a small handful of snow and pressed it against her ripped cheek and the injected area. She recognized the poison, which really had no name in the training area besides the nickname "spiderbit." There was no anecdote. The only thing you could do was wait it out and hope it wouldn't kill you.

It seemed a long fifteen minutes before Natasha could feel the poison kicking in. Her mind began whirling and she could no longer control her body's movement. Soon her whole body was shaking uncontrollably, and she began hallucinating. Darkkia was hovering over her, his teeth were pointed fangs with blood dripping down from them. Then he was biting her neck hard, and she screamed and cried out. But that was a sign of pain. The other agents suddenly appeared around her, and a trainer was whipping her hard while Darkkia bit her neck. She looked down and it wasn't Darkkia. It was the giant rat from the tunnel. It was clawing at her cheek and calf, and she screamed. Then everything went black before her eyes.

_Thanks everyone for the reviews! They mean a lot to me and encourage me to keep writing!_


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